Wild & Punny

With every new Idea Book I tend to find a stamp that is my favorite throughout the entire catalog. This stamp was not my usual genre, but it encapsulates a favorite animal of mine recently and my daughter's "spirit animal". The llama and sloth together on one stamp set? So crazy!

I really like the other animals and the "punny" sentiments that coordinate with them. Plus, to get any stamp with the thin cuts is a no-brainer! Here are some cards I showcased for my Open House event giving a sample of each creature.

I pulled in a mix of papers from many of the new collections in the idea book along with the mix-in papers. I used the sloth card for my daughter's graduation. She just received her Associate's Degree from the university where she has attended for only 5 semesters. She will have her Bachelor's Degree by next spring, hence the irony of the sloth!

Here we are with her from this past Friday. So proud of her, what a beautiful day! I can't wait to scrapbook more of the pics we took from the weekend as it is National Scrapbooking Month!

Take a look through the new Idea Book to see which stamp set stands out as your favorite. I hope you like this stamp too and consider adding it to your collection. It would be so "punny" if you do!

May is National Scrapbooking Month

In May we celebrate preserving our most treasured memories! Close to My Heart always provides an exclusive paper packet and stamp set to celebrate. This year they have so many spectacular options for every crafter in mind! You can choose to create traditional 12x12 pages, easy Cut-Above pages, mini-albums, and for card-lovers we still have something for you!

Here are a few options, but be sure to check online for more choices!

While online you are going to notice several new products as a brand new Idea Book also launched on May 1st! This book will give you options to craft projects for summer, travel, girls, boys, weddings and the craft-a-holics you know and or may be yourself!

I will give you a peek at all the new collections later. Plus, you will see in addition to the new products even more specials. Here are just a few~

Beautiful Friendship Going Away

Just the paper collection is going away soon! Beautiful Friendship was the first paper collection featured in the Seasonal Expressions 2 Idea Book. It had a lovely color scheme of pinks, light yellow and a bold Sapphire Blue. I loved all the floral patterns and the tea cups were a fun addition. I'm sharing a layout I did some time ago and a new layout I created recently revisiting those "Tea-riffic" images from the coordinating complements.

These papers are still so gorgeous to me...I may need to get another pack before they are retired! Be sure to get products from this collection before August 31st. Thanks for stopping by!

You Can Still Document with Documented

I'm getting down to just scraps with my Documented paper and complements collection! At first I was drawn to make cards with these papers, but after looking through the papers more carefully and the complement stickers that coordinate with it, I realized this collection is truly for documenting your story. I created a few layouts with some pictures in mind and some yet to be taken!

This first one is a two page layout that is simply colorful and happy. It uses much of the big flowers, a 'beautiful' sticker and a happy title provided by one of the PML cards.

I pulled out an older How To Book called Magic. Does anyone remember this book?

This next layout is a single page. Sometimes I have only one photo that I captured, but there is a great story to go with it. I have a pretty good idea of what this photo will be and the story, I just have yet to print it!

I get some great stories from my daughter who is away at college and she sends me the best pictures.

Lastly, as I stated from the beginning this collection of papers and complements begs you to tell your story. This PML card with a pink camera and journal lines is the perfect platform to write down your thoughts. I love the other sentiments and words found on a zip strip. These make embellishing your layout super easy!

The Documented collection is available until August 31st. If you have a story to tell make sure to get these products before they are gone!

Thanks for visiting! Remember you can shop anytime for these great products and many more on my online website.

Fresh Air Layouts

The Seasonal Expressions 2 Idea Book and products are still available until the end of August. There is always so much excitement when a new book is soon launching, however you won't want to miss out on any of these products when they retire. One of the first paper collections that caught my eye in this book was the Fresh Air papers. I knew they would be perfect for my family and our outdoor lifestyle. After these last couple of warm summer months I had some pictures perfect for this collection.

The stamp I used for this first layout, along with the PML card choice complimented these photo's perfectly. My husband and I ventured out to escape the hot temperatures and went somewhere brand new that we have never been before. It was a nice escape with much cooler weather, a hail storm and just in time to see the last blooms of the wildflowers. How awesome does that wood pattern paper work with the pines and yellow fields. Plus the complements, especially that chair are too cute!

In this second layout titled "Time to Unwind and Relax", I will remember that after napping through the rain showers the sun came out for a beautiful hike to a waterfall! Again, all of the complements and PML card fit so perfectly with my pictures!

Maybe you haven't taken that adventure yet, but imagine if you do and you don't have these gorgeous papers to scrapbook with. What if they are already gone! Its best to be safe than sorry!

You can find this collection and more online today and until August 31st only! Happy memory making!

New in May

Hello, welcome to a new month and a new quarter. Today is the start of a brand new Seasonal Expressions Idea Book. There are new collections of papers, fabulous stamps and a new Story!

I think that you will see from just the cover of the new idea book that it holds a summery surprise for your crafting needs these upcoming months. It has paper collections with flowers, balloons, outdoor scenery, tea cups, bicycles, homes and maps. I will show you more on each of the 4 new paper collections soon.

You will see a new way to preserve and document your memories called Story by Stacy. The talented Stacy Julian will share some simple, colorful, happy ways to document those stories that mean so much to you. Find starter kits with 4x4 albums, quote cards, story cards, photo trimmer and stamps that will make your documenting super easy.

A new month is not complete without a Stamp of the Month that you can get for only $5! This is called Classic Summer Bash and features a large mason jar, straw, citrus and all the sentiments you need for a summer-time BBQ or setting up a neighborhood lemonade stand! This is a cute one!

Last, but certainly not least, it's National Scrapbooking Month! You are going to love the variety of products offered this month with the Postcard Perfect papercrafting suite of products. Please check out my website for all the details and offerings for this collection. I gave you a sneak peek of this collection earlier. Just a small photo of a scrapbook layout I created with these beautiful papers. Want to see more?

I love these floral papers and the fun tropical images. My pictures don't really do it much justice.

The collection contains 4 sheets (2 patterns) of vellum papers. The dot pattern is laid on top of the floral on this layout giving it a more subtle appearance. It is so pretty!

Just think of scrapbooking your tropical or summery related photo's on these papers. Plus, if you order the bundles there is a discounted price. Come back soon and I'll show you some more projects using this collection.

Please check out all the new products and browse through the Idea Book online here.

Good things happening now and to come!

I realize that I have been horrible at updating here on my Blog. I have been crafting and you can find my most recent artwork over on Instagram. I did want to check in though to let you know what is happening now and give you a sneak peek into what is coming next month!

Each Friday in April we’ll discount a new selection of favorite items and exclusive product bundles for just 24 hours! Save 25% on a wide variety of crafting essentials each weekend and discover some new faves of your own!

 

Coming in May ~ Celebrate National Scrapbooking Month ~

Get ready to celebrate National Scrapbooking Month with the Postcard Perfect special! This special features a collection of coordinating products, including an exclusive paper packet, stamp set, cardstock combo pack, and Cut Above^® layout kit. Save 20% when you purchase the Postcard Perfect product bundle, which includes all of this month’s featured items in one convenient bundle. 

Want a sneak peek of a layout I created at my Open House Event!?

 Come back soon for more projects and details using this exclusive paper. Plus, in May you will get to view all the latest products in the new Seasonal Expressions 2 Idea Book!

It's a Fiesta with Prickly Pear!

The BIG grad party has come and gone! There was a ton of preparation for the party itself, but I managed to find some time to create a few layouts that would work for the party pics to come. I wanted to use the fun Prickly Pear papers as I liked the bright colors and the cactus would work well with our backyard decor where the activity would happen.

The included PML cards can act as titles on your page or you can use the card and add the complements chipboard letter die-cuts for a big title!

This page worked well to showcase some of the areas that my daughter and I decorated inside the house.

We used several areas in our house to show her memorabilia, photographs and to set up a "One Smart Cookie Bar". For this reason I decided to add a flip flap to the layout to show more pictures and not crowd the page.

Take a closer look at these fun titles and complements that can be added to your Prickly Pear pages!

Remember that this collection is available now in the Seasonal Expressions 2 Idea Book which will expire in August.

June Specials Start with a Flash Sale!

At 2 p.m. Pacific time today, a flash sale begins on my website! Products from the newest Seasonal Expressions book as well as the Annual catalog will be at a special reduced price. Be sure to check it out!

While your there shopping, check out the gorgeous albums. They are in an assortment of colors and you can get them in either a post-bound or D-ring style. For the month of June it's buy one get the second for 50% off.

Once you've added your albums and sale items, you will be well on your way to receiving the stamp of the month for only $5! Hello Foxy is a cute, sweet friend that you will want to share with loved ones and friends!

Enjoy all of this month's specials and continue to celebrate your memories and spread your joy with others! Happy June!

Live Beautifully Graduation Announcements

This month is National Scrapbooking Month. As you know, Close To My Heart is offering a wonderful collection of papers, cut-above kits and a special stamp set to celebrate. As I mentioned in my last post, I have used these papers to create my daughter's graduation announcements. Here is what my daughter and I designed together.

I knew that the floral paper in this collection would be perfect to capture her High School colors of maroon & gold. She also wanted to incorporate gold and I loved the contrast of black & white. With some help from my Cricut and some Lawn Fawn border die cuts, these were the cards we came up with. As you will see in the next photo not every card was the same. I wanted to mix up all the combinations and have a little fun. Everyone received a card that was individual and unique!

Keep in mind that I was able to create over 30 announcements with just about one packet of paper. I also purchased the Cut-Above kit and was able to create beautiful scrapbook layouts to showcase my daughter's graduation photographs. I will share these pages and many more projects using the new paper collections from Seasonal Expressions Idea Book. Stay tuned!